[ ''QUOTATION '' ]

    [ ‘’ Quotation ‘’ ]

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

Old man thought ‘’what is the use of me living like this ? a useless ;unwanted ; inconvenient  fellow;…..counting my days….but it is not coming to an end…some how  pulling on .After my wife Narayani’s death  I have been with my eldest daughter . for some time, I was wanted to stand in the queue  to buy milk and provisions; to take the children to the bus stop; in the evening to bring them back.

When they became old enough ,that they could  manage themselves; I became

a  useless  inconvenient  fellow. Without a word I came away.  Now  I  realize  Narayani’s  value .Poor thing  she is my uncle’s daughter; born for me …but she

received  only insult ;….blaming…and snubbing from me..Now she is full in my heart;….every nook and corner of the house; in the cow shed;  …..in the chicken cage;…..everywhere  I could feel her presence.  ;.Now all these places are empty.

  The kitchen almost lay closed. One servant used to come ; whenever she feels like coming; and cook some rubbish. Now I realize that money is nothing ; no value at all;…to buy medicine or some other necessary things ,I have to wait days to get somebody  to buy it. What is the use of me living like this;...how can I end my life?

and get rid of all these misery.’’ Long time our good old man is trying to find out a solution to put an end to his life. Slowly he took out his medicine box. There was medicine for high B P ,sugar ,and sleeping pills. He collected it and thought for a moment; ‘’ if I swallow all these medicines together, my BP will go down and down, and my sugar level will go down and down and sleep ,sleep,  sleep off and finish. But if I don’t  finish off, then somebody will put me in the hospital ,even if nobody wants me; then the torture and misery , I have to undergo.....oh ! can’t even imagine. Then there is only one way...give ‘ quotation ‘ ....Ayyappankutty ...my old friend’s. .as well as  my orderly’s son is now in the quotation gang...he may help me. Slowly he got out of the house in the darkness and walked towards

Ayyappankutty’s  house . One white car was there in the yard , so he was sure that Ayyappan was at home. He slowly knocked at the door. Ayyappankutty came out ,seeing this good old man at this time , he opened his mouth in amazement;

Without a  word old man walked off, and he followed  him. When they reached at a dilapidated barn...old man stopped and turned to his side, caught both his hands together in his hands, and  with a shivering voice pleaded  ‘’Ayyappa don’t say no..to me I have no other solution ...will you please finish off a person for me,..what  ever you want; I will give....please don’t say no ‘’Then our old man

sobbed.  Ayyappan   hugged him tightly and said ‘’ Uncle , tell me whom do you want to finish ?’’ Then with a gasping old man said ‘’ It is me , somehow finish off me, and save me, from these misery ‘’ At last he agreed. Ayyappan   said  ‘’ I will keep a small packet in this barn. Here  in this  point’’ He showed him a point .’’Mix it with water and drink .Next morning you won’t get up ‘’ Old man gave him a piece of gold bar , but he was hesitant to receive it  ’’ see ,this will lay under my pillow ,and somebody will grab it’’. He then forcefully put it in his pocket.

Next morning, the pedestrians, passing by, saw the barn  kept opened , they found out a dead body ,informed the neighbors  and police.

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

'' Fond memories of my child hood ''[28 ]

‘’ Fond memories of my child hood ‘’ [ 28 ]

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

At times  my dad  went into the dense forest with a few of his selective  friends for hunting.Pottanammachen was the one who made all the arrangements like food drinking water,head light,swatter muffler boots  etc

And he also accompanied them. They used to go for hunting by evening andcame back by next morning with the shot dead animals like big jungle squrrels, or deer or sheep and all.Then Pottanammachen and sreedharan started   dressing ,cleaning ,and cutting them up and cooking .By evening dad’s friends with whom he went for hunting  gathered in our house  to enjoy a dinner with white kerosin [for liquer Pottanammachen used to tell us that it is white kerosin.During the war time  the kerosin  we get was not clear,had a slight reddish colour.]As life was going on ike this the x’mas vacation came to an end and we proceeded to nangiarkulangara.

One of my aunties in cochin  had a fever and it prolonged for  more than a month.In the end Drs digonised that she had TB and adviced her to go to Madrass to get proper treatment. After a course of treatment she was adviced to go to Nagarcoil TB centre for further care and medication. Uncle took her with  her younger sister to Nagarcoil took a small house on rent near the TB hospital and continude the treatment.My mother and her sisters were so attached and my mom went to Nagarcoil for afew days to help them. 

Dad came away to the estate leaving mum there.

By the time our school closed for the mid summer vacation and my sister

Brother and myself came to Bharatheepuram. We reached home by the late evening and saw dad lying down  fully covered with a blanket and shivering.

He was having  a very high temperature and Pttanammachen had gone to Punalure to get medicine for him. Through out the night my sister and

Pottanammachen were nursing him ,but his illness became worse. Early morning Pottanammachen hired a car and with the help of Sreedharan ,

driver and my sister ,somehow shifted him to the car and drove on.My youngest sister ,brother,and myself were so worried and were waiting for them.Towards the evening  some how the news reached home that

Dad passed away.Within seconds the house and the courtyard was crowded

With people crying and howling and I joined them,but at that moment I was tottaly ignorant ,of the depth of the loss.By midnight somebody brought my mom  without

revealing the sad news to her.At the first sight she fainted ,and the people around carried her to her room.The funeral was on the next day in presence of

a big crowed.He was creamated at a distance but we could see the flame and smoke from home.For a few days  the house and surroundings were full of

people , relatives and friends coming and going like a stream.There was a big function on the sixteenth day of  demise.A big pandal was errected in t he

 courtyard and there was a feast ,After that the crowd were dispersed,then we, my mom my sisters brothers and me were left alone, we could very well feel the depth of our loss….a house …without a master …no one to take a decision….no one to direct us…no one to care for us….no one to manage the estate.

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’  

'' Fond memories of my child hood '' [ 27 ]

’’Fond memories of my child hood ‘’ [27 ]

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

One evening we ,my brother,his friends,our maid servant's daughter and me  were playing hide and seek, in the backyard of our house.Boys climbed the trees and one climbed the attic of the cow shed and we girls hid behind  the

heap of hey and inside the quarry, from where the stones were dug for the construction of the house. When we entered the quarry we heard a shrill kiyo

kiyo… voice of  chicks. .We looked every where    to find out

from where the sound comes from  .At last we saw a big hole, like a cave

in the wall of the trench. When we peeped into it we saw in dim light ,very young  egg like chicks with shining eyes, frightened ,clinging together.We took them out carefully.They were eleven in number,.By the time from a distance

the mother hen came running making a sound and looking at our face  demanding  her baby-chicks. We.We took the chicks and hen also inside the house

gave them a basket ,spread  hey inside and made it soft for the chicks  and kept it at the attic of our barn.

Hen got into the basket and sat spreading it’s feather and wings and kept all the chicks inside her wings.Only then mum and others knew that the hen laid eggs in that hole and hatched.

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

Fond memories of my child hood [26 ]i

’  Fond memories of my childhood ‘’ [26 ]

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

On full moon days, we put two, or three mats in the courtyard in front of our house mum ,dad sisters brothers and me  sat on the mat and mum showed us the five stars named pancha pandavas,and the seven stars,

Saptharshis,and the most  glittering one Karthika. .When ever we sat in the moon light,she  repeated this.My brother and me ran around and played.

The whole world around us were immersed in the milky moon light and we could see the blue mountains,just below  the green hills ,just below the vast

green paddy fields fading out in the distance and the cool breeze carrying the fragrance of the wild flowers. All these  are still in my memory like a canvas painting.

On such a day, we  enjoyed the moon light , the breeze,  and the beauty of the surroundings and then went inside for dinner.After dinner mum the maid servant and her daughter started cutting vegetables and doing other household works  like washing plates ,making pickles ,polishing lamps  because there was a small function on the next day.My eldest sister and her husband were coming home to celebrate her birth day with us. Two or three times mum chased us to go to sleep,but we came back lingering around watching their work. Towards the late hours of the night we heard the sound of a motor car;from

a distance, coming nearer and nearer and  entering our boundary.We were expecting my sister and  husband so we peeped through the window.Then we

were so excited to see  a number of deer big  and small running  around and playing in the moon light in our court yard.with out making any sound mum woke up my elders and dad and we watched  the beautiful sight for a few minuets.They might have heard  the rustling sound of us moving, for a moment they looked towards the house ,then ran away and disappeared

In the forest.

There was a vegetable garden  in the back yard of our house and adjacent to

the vegetable garden there was avast land where tapioca

chorm,banana,cashew nuts and mango trees were grown.Once in a way

monkeys in battallion rushed into that area and with in seconds they will pull out tapioca and pluck banana,stuff it in their mouths and hands full and run

away into the forest.To pull out tapioca one of them will climb up and swing

to and fro like children swinging in a swing.By the time two or three of them would pull it upwards from the bottom. There is a stream running down

at our boundry..Monkeys always do everything in groups.A group of them jumped into the stream,swam,dived and took a bath.After bath they sat in the sun to dry their body;and  then plucked leaves of teak wood,put it in a flat stone

and smashed it up with another stone.,With both hands smeared the juice in their cheeks to get a pink colour,like our modern girls using roosh  in their cheeks.

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

Fond memories of my childhoohd [25 ]

‘’Fond memmories of my child hood ‘’ [25 ]

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

By the time of the second term exam I was the top in  class and the class teacher made me the  class.leader So also I was very active in extracurricular activities like painting ,playing badminton,ping-pong,giving speeches

In class meetings .During the x’mas vacation we went to Bharatheepuram.Life in the forest area was quite different and I enjoyed it with my brother.We my brother ,his friends and me went into the forest to see monkeys ,squirrels,rabbits , birds.and to pluck fruits like gua mango etc.

One day my dad brought home a baby monkey.During the winter season ,at times  forest  fire broke out,and the animals inside that area used to run away to save themselves .Monkeys while jumping from one branch to another to get out of the fire; to save the baby monkey;they used to threw them away out of burning area.Some how dad got a baby monkey ,which was thrown away.My brother and me were so excited to have a baby monkey and we spent most of the time nursing it .We managed to have a woollen wrapper ,a feeding bottle and a cradle for the baby monkey.First it was so scared of us and within a few days it started playing with us and came running as soon as it saw  the feeding bottle.

like a baby it was laid down in our laps to drink the milk.

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’